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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27165190">'Tis The Season for Pumpkins</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RejectsCanon/pseuds/RejectsCanon'>RejectsCanon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Of Love and Tea Leaves [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Tea Shop, F/M, Fluff, Halloween, M/M, Tea Shop Zuko, and go on very cliche dates, and that's the fic, baker sokka, not scary at all though, oh look it's another installment of my tea shop and bakery au, sokka and zuko get matching costumes, they are all very soft for each other, this really is just 7k of fluff and everyone being friends</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:40:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,863</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27165190</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RejectsCanon/pseuds/RejectsCanon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Maybe it’s cliche or predictable of Zuko for a number of reasons, but Zuko unironically loves the month of October and everything it has to offer. </p><p>He loves that the weather gets colder, the leaves change color, and the general spooky atmosphere is something he can definitely get behind. Sure, the weather starts to get colder in September, and leaves keep changing through November, but the month of October has always been one of Zuko’s favorites. Not the least of all because Halloween is his favorite holiday.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aang &amp; Sokka (Avatar), Aang &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Katara &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Sokka &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Of Love and Tea Leaves [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1869442</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>331</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>'Tis The Season for Pumpkins</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I'm back and I bring with me a Halloween fic!! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post something new, but I think I'm finally out of the funk that took over. So, I hope you all enjoy this!</p><p>Also, if you’ve left me a comment on one of my fics recently, and I haven’t replied, please take this as a blanket thank you. Thank you for reading my works, I’m happy you’ve enjoyed them, and thank you for being patient with me recently. I really, really appreciate it. Thank you. 💙</p><p>Not beta-read, so any mistakes are my own. Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Maybe it’s cliche or predictable of Zuko for a number of reasons, but Zuko unironically loves the month of October and everything it has to offer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He loves that the weather gets colder, the leaves change color, and the general spooky atmosphere is something he can definitely get behind. Sure, the weather starts to get colder in September, and leaves keep changing through November, but the month of October has always been one of Zuko’s favorites. Not the least of all because Halloween is his favorite holiday.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko remembers Halloween being his favorite even when he was small and that favoritism has followed him into adulthood. Though, his reasons have changed from ‘stay up late and get free candy’ to ‘a nice atmosphere that’s mostly pretty innocent and generally fun’. Zuko’s aware enough to realize that he appreciates the aesthetics of Halloween more now than anything else, really. Decorating everything to look vaguely scary is fun, fall clothing is comfortable, no one judges him for wearing black, and Zuko has realized that people are generally more cheerful during this time of year, and that makes them easier to deal with. He doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, so the candy, cookies, </span>
  <em>
    <span>sugar </span>
  </em>
  <span>part of October doesn’t appeal to him much anymore. (Zuko </span>
  <em>
    <span>does </span>
  </em>
  <span>enjoy a good pumpkin-flavored treat, though. Pumpkin bread? Yes, please.) </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Does that stop him from making candy-packed goodie bags for trick-or-treaters? Absolutely not. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So, when September is about to end and October is around the corner, Zuko pulls the Halloween decorations from the garage, loads them in Uncle’s car, and heads to the tea shop so he can begin decorating. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The first day of October may fall on a Thursday this year, but that doesn’t mean Zuko’s going to wait until the weekend to decorate. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko takes the decorating of the shop and Uncle’s house very seriously for Halloween. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko’s not one for scary decorations, especially now that he’s realized that Halloween, as it is nowadays, is much more for children than adults. So he sticks with the classics of window decals, fake spiderwebs (and cute, obviously fake spiders), and plenty of pumpkins. Zuko has learned from experience not to decorate too much outside the shop because things will get damaged or stolen (Zuko may never recover from his skeleton holding a to-go cup getting stolen two years prior), so he focuses more of his efforts on the inside of the shop. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d waited until the shop was near closing time to start, so there weren't many customers inside for Zuko to work around. He hangs up a few ghost models, puts webbings in the corners and along the walls, he sets a few plastic pumpkins on the tables that don’t have customers sitting at them (he’ll have to go buy some real ones both for decorating and carving once they become available. Maybe he and Sokka can make a date out of it, like one of those cliched Halloween themed dates that always seem really cute.) Zuko puts what decals he has on the windows, making a mental note to get some new ones along with the pumpkins when he gets a chance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The whole time he’s decorating, Zuko gets the distinct feeling that Aang, their chosen closer for the night, is silently laughing at him. Zuko ignores it, because he </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows </span>
  </em>
  <span>Aang is just as excited for Halloween as him (Aang more for the pumpkin-flavored treats and candy more than anything but still). Aang finally breaks in his fight to hold off his laughter when Zuko changes the overhead music from their regular relaxing instrumental music, to Zuko’s Halloween playlist that he’s spent the last few years perfectly crafting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t laugh at me,” Zuko says haughtily. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>you’re just as excited as I am.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, yeah,” Aang says, still chuckling. “I just didn't expect you to be this into it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Halloween is fun,” Zuko shrugs, attaching some webs to the sides of the counter and around the register, making it a bit easier to talk to Aang. “It’s not a serious holiday or anything like that. The main goal is to have some fun and maybe get a little scared. There are no expectations attached to it or anything. Plus, the whole aesthetic and everything is really nice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Aang says, helping him arrange some of the little spiders. “And it’s fun to dress up and everything. And a lot of the movies are good, but I don’t really like the horror ones.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You poor thing,” Zuko can’t help but tease. “Can’t handle a few scary movies.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Aang exclaims, even though he’s also trying not to laugh. “Excuse me for not wanting to put myself through that. I’ll stick with the cute movies for kids.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, Aang, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hocus Pocus </span>
  </em>
  <span>is a perfectly valid Halloween movie,” Zuko keeps teasing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>It is!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Aang laughs. “And so is </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’m not going to argue,” Zuko assures him. “If you think I’m not going to watch both of those multiple times, you’re wrong.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something must occur to Aang suddenly because all at once he’s looking at Zuko in excitement. “Hey, maybe we can do a Halloween double-date this year,” he says. “Go to one of our places, dress up, watch Halloween movies. It could be fun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko looks at him with a raised eyebrow. The thing is, it doesn’t sound </span>
  <em>
    <span>bad. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Aang is without a doubt his friend, probably the best friend Zuko’s ever had. He gets along well with Katara, and he would consider her a friend as well. And Sokka…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>loves </span>
  </em>
  <span>Sokka. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tell you what,” Zuko says. “If you can convince Katara to yes to that, I’ll ask Sokka.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aang cheers, actually pumping his fist and jumping up and down. Zuko can’t help but laugh, a warm feeling settling in his chest. He checks the time while Aang keeps celebrating, seeing that it’s close enough to closing, just a few minutes off, that Zuko goes to flip the sign to ‘closed’. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you have plans tonight?” Zuko asks Aang.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah, why?” he asks, starting to wipe off the counter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Help me finish setting up these last decorations that I have and I’ll help you close up. I have Uncle’s car, so I can drop you off at home, if you want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can we get food, too?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a deal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko lets himself smile, that warm feeling growing in his chest, as Aang comes out from behind the counter, grabs the paper bats, and starts to hang them from the ceiling. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka loves fall. Loves the weather, the atmosphere, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>food. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka loves all things Fall and pumpkin related. Loves the different bakes he can do, loves that fall flavors are so versatile, loves that he can experiment and that the flavors are generally forgiving enough to always be at least palatable. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He loves Halloween, loves the themed treats he can make, loves impressing people with his decorating and his flavors. He’s always liked Halloween, Sokka’s pretty sure most kids do, unless they have traumatizing horror experiences, that is. Sokka has not, so he feels perfectly justified, especially with his chosen career, in loving Halloween.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’s going to make so many themed cookies that by mid-October people will be sick of them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Having the bakery this year so he can actually profit off his Fall baking obsession is going to be amazing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka thinks he has exemplified an incredible amount of restraint by waiting until the first day of October to start putting out said Fall treats, which leads him to where he is. It’s a Wednesday, October first is tomorrow, and Sokka is holed in the kitchen of the bakery after hours, preparing some things ahead of time while Katara works on updating the menu board. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two of them had spent a fair amount of time deciding (arguing) over how to arrange the menu for the month of October. Katara had been against adding too many things at once, wanting to start slow and work up to adding more things. Sokka had wanted to add as many things as possible as soon as possible. Eventually, though, he saw her logic and agreed to add mainly the pumpkin recipes at first, rather than all the ones he had been advocating for. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(“But what about my apple and cherry turnovers, Katara? The </span>
  <em>
    <span>turnovers.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s still November and December, too. People thrive on apple and cherry-flavored things during the big holiday season, you know this. We did this last year.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess, but I want to make them now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re already making pumpkin bread, muffins, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>pie. Not to mention all the different themed cookies you want to make. Do you really need to do ghost, bat, pumpkin, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>cat shaped ones?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes. Yes, I do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank God we hired that kid a few months ago to help you in the kitchen, you absolute madman.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Haru is </span>
  <em>
    <span>great </span>
  </em>
  <span>in the kitchen. I mean, he’s a terrible baker, but he’s good at decorating.”)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So, Sokka is in the back, making the pumpkin pies because they’re better if they are set overnight, and preparing the cookie dough, because they hold their shape better if they chill. He’d gotten a call from Zuko about an hour ago, saying that he was at the tea shop and noticed they were there, and asked if he and Katara wanted to join him and Aang for dinner. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katara and Sokka had already eaten dinner, unfortunately, but that didn’t stop Sokka from teasing Zuko about his bro-date with Aang, and it definitely didn’t stop Katara from teasing Zuko about decorating the tea shop for Halloween. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(“I was watching through the window,” she says to Zuko after Sokka puts the phone on speaker for her. “Could you really not wait until the weekend?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely not,” Zuko says, voice full of fake offense. “Who do you take me for?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He did the inside, too,” Aang jumps in, and Sokka assumes Zuko also has the phone on speaker. “It looks really good actually!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katara snorts, and Zuko says, “The jokes on all of you because we’re going to get more customers just because it’s decorated. You’ll see.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, maybe you can help us decorate the bakery, then,”  Sokka says, looking out the windows of the shop and angling until he can see The Jasmine Dragon, and yup. The place is decked out in cute Halloween attire. “I wouldn’t even know where to start.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll leave that up to you two,” Katara says, rolling her eyes. “Just don’t go wild.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’ll help,” Zuko says easily like it’s not a big deal to offer to help decorate </span>
  <em>
    <span>another </span>
  </em>
  <span>shop. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We don’t have any decorations,” Sokka warns.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s okay,” Zuko says. “We have some more, and I needed to pick up some new stuff anyway, so it won’t be much of a difference to grab some extra for you guys, too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I love you,” Sokka sighs into the phone. Katara gags. Aang coos. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko says, “I love you, too.”)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka makes a few pies, forcing himself to not go overboard. He makes three to be cut and sold in individual slices, and he makes four to be sold whole. They’ve acquired a fair amount of regulars who come in and buy whole loaves of bread, cakes, and other bulk items, so Sokka feels safe in only making four. He’s sure they’ll get sold, and if he gets a good reception, he’ll make a few more. Once the other flavors come in November, he’ll go back down to four. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He prepares a lot of cookie dough. Like </span>
  <em>
    <span>a lot. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Most of it is sugar cookie dough for the different shapes, though he does make a few batches of candy corn flavored dough that he colors orange and yellow and shapes it so it swirls, before letting that chill, too. He’ll bake them all fresh in the morning and when Haru gets here they’ll work on decorating all of them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka wonders, as he’s loading a round of dishes, if the bakery could host some kind of cookie decorating event for kids in the neighborhood, and tells himself to bring it up to Katara later. It might be fun, and a good way to reach out to the community; but it also might be way too complicated to set up, so he puts that thought on the back burner for now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka finishes going through his regular closing routine of preparing their more basic and permanent items and finishes cleaning the kitchen, going out to the front to meet Katara. She looks like she’s doing one final sweep of the floor, the chairs on top of the tables, and the counters spotless. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, will you empty the register for me while I finish this?” Katara asks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka nods, dodging piles of dust as he heads to register, closing it down properly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You ready to get out of here?” Sokka asks when he thinks Katara’s finished. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think so,” she says. “Anything else can be done in the morning when the others are here to help.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They leave the bakery, double-checking that everything is locked up properly, and head home, both content with the day. And Sokka’s sure he’s not the only one also thrumming with excitement over the month to come. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It turns out that all Zuko has to do to get Sokka to come decoration shopping with him is ask and promise hot chocolate. Literally, the actual asking takes all of three minutes, maybe less. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, when are you free next?” Zuko asks after Sokka answers the phone and they’ve said their greetings. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm, Wednesday afternoon, I think. We’re closing a little early because two of our part-timers called out sick this week. I think they’re just worried about midterms, so they’re using their time, which is dumb cause we’d give them more time off if they asked. But Katara wanted to do some research about an event we wanted to do anyway, so we just decided to close early,” Sokka explains.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wanna come Halloween shopping with me? I want to get some more stuff for the shop, and we can get some stuff for the bakery, too. And I want to get stuff for trick-or-treaters before everything is picked over.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, can we make it a Halloween themed date? Like get hot chocolate and fuck around with all the Halloween stuff?” Sokka asks excitedly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can do that,” Zuko laughs. “Let me know when to pick you up and I’ll be there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And if they talked on the phone after that for another two hours, just talking; about the community event Sokka and Katara were working on, about their Halloweens as kids, and about anything else that popped into their heads, that was between Zuko, Sokka, and no one else. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Going Halloween shopping with Sokka is simultaneously the most chaotic, interesting, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun </span>
  </em>
  <span>thing that Zuko has ever done. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko shows up outside his apartment at one in the afternoon, as requested, cups of hot chocolate already waiting in the cup holders. Zuko is greeted with a shining grin and a quick kiss, and Zuko is sure his heart will never get used to the wonder that is Sokka. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They go to one of the local Halloween stores that always manage to pop up once October rolls around and are somehow gone on November first like they never appeared. Zuko knows he’ll be able to find everything he needs here, minus the actual pumpkins, so he figures this is a good enough spot to head to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka seems to agree, if his cries of excitement when they pull into the parking lot are anything to go by. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m warning you now,” Sokka says seriously. “I’m about to turn into such a child. This is going to be so much fun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko laughs, thinking Sokka must be exaggerating and gets out of the car. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka was not exaggerating. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka takes to exploring every inch of the store possible, dragging Zuko along with him. They look at decorations first, where Zuko grabs the things he wants and Sokka pokes at everything. He presses every ‘try me’ button he sees, pulls strings, examines figurines, and generally leaves no stone unturned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko can’t even be annoyed, because the absolute </span>
  <em>
    <span>joy </span>
  </em>
  <span>on Sokka’s face just makes Zuko’s heart sing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko looks around for more things he might want, but his attention keeps getting pulled back to Sokka with every “Zuko, look at this!” or “Come check this out, isn’t it cool?” And the things that Sokka pulls his attention to are things that Zuko </span>
  <em>
    <span>does </span>
  </em>
  <span>find cool or interesting. Zuko does the same, showing things to Sokka just because they look cool and he thinks Sokka might like them, and every time Sokka’s eyes light up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Many, </span>
  <em>
    <span>many </span>
  </em>
  <span>unnecessary things get added to the cart. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A smile stays glued on Zuko’s face as they make their way through the store, laughs getting startled out of him at seemingly every turn. They look at the bigger displays of decorations, the ones that are meant to be scary and shocking. Zuko laughs so hard his stomach hurts and he almost spills his hot chocolate when Sokka thinks that one of the ones that jump at you is turned off and he ends up so startled when it jumps at him that he falls over. Sokka retaliates by coming up behind Zuko having one of the cursed looking dolls sing its evil child rhyme in his ear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko </span>
  <em>
    <span>hates </span>
  </em>
  <span>those dolls, and Sokka knows it. Zuko </span>
  <em>
    <span>will </span>
  </em>
  <span>get revenge. Somehow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as his heart stops racing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They head to the candy isles next, where Zuko takes his time to find the perfect selection of candy and goodie bag design. Earlier that week, they had agreed to spend Halloween together as a group, and Uncle had offered his and Zuko’s place since it’s the biggest and has extra rooms for people to sleep in if anyone’s too tired to go home. Zuko knows from experience that there will be a steady flow of trick-or-treaters until about nine or ten at night, when it’ll start dying down as kids go home to sleep. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are taking this very seriously,” Sokka says, watching Zuko pick through the bags of mixed candy to find one with a good mix. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well yeah, Halloween is the most fun for little kids, and I know a decent amount of younger kids trick-or-treat around the neighborhood,” Zuko says. Zuko finds a bag that’s a mix of different chocolate bars and adds two of them to the cart. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you make them goodie bags?” Sokka asks, handing Zuko a bag of just peanut butter cups. Zuko adds it to the cart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you remember how exciting it was to get a goodie bag when you went trick-or-treating?” Zuko asks, examining the different bags of lollipops. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but then I remember being disappointed when it had shit like pencils and raisins in it,” Sokka wrinkles his nose as he says it and holds out a bag of pixie sticks for Zuko’s approval. Zuko nods and Sokka tosses it in the cart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>will not </span>
  </em>
  <span>be the house that gives out pencils and raisins and </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking Dots</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Zuko says vehemently, putting the lollipops back and tossing a bag of chocolate-covered caramels in the cart. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka may laugh now, but Zuko’s goodie bags are going to make those kids’ nights. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In hindsight, exploring the costumes is where most of the chaos came from. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It started when Sokka found two plastic swords, tossed one to Zuko, and took up a stance. Zuko looks around, makes sure they’re the only ones in the aisle, and takes up his own stance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They almost get kicked out for making such a raucous, but Zuko thinks it was worth it because he can’t ever remember laughing so much. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They take turns trying on ridiculous hats and other accessories, laughing all the while. Then, Sokka wraps one of the, frankly kind of ugly, feather boas around Zuko’s neck and uses it to pull him in for a quick, chaste kiss. Zuko blushes bright red, puts the bao back, and has to turn around and look elsewhere so he can compose himself while Sokka smirks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ooo, do you think I could find a sexy chef costume?” Sokka asks, riffling through the different costumes. “I think ‘baker’ might be too specific.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really? A sexy chef?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or should I go with a sexy nurse? Construction worker? I don’t wanna be a sexy cop, no thank you,” Sokka says absently, still going through the costumes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you get one of those sexy ‘insert occupation’ costumes, then we can’t get matching costumes,” Zuko says, putting on a dramatic pout. Sokka whips around to look at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” he asks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, if you get a sexy costume we can’t match. I refuse to support the detrimental stereotype of sexy costumes that mostly advertise themselves to women,” Zuko says. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What if I just pick us out matching onesies or something? Then could we match?” Sokka asks. He’s blushing a little, and Zuko can’t stop himself from pressing a kiss to his cheek.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Zuko says, lips still pressed to his cheek. “Get us matching onesies.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Zuko turns away, Sokka’s blush is bright red and flushing down to his neck. Zuko considers them even. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka picks out matching bat onesies, with little wings on the back and all, and looks so satisfied in his find that Zuko can’t help but kiss him again as he places them in the cart. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They finally leave the store, hours later, and with much more stuff than necessary.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They also both leave with smiles on their faces and laughter in their throats, so Zuko thinks it’s a fair trade. His face </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurts </span>
  </em>
  <span>from smiling so much. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>That first declared ‘Halloween themed date’ seemed to open the door to every other cliche Fall date that Sokka can think of. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko mentions he wants to pick out some pumpkins to put around the shop, and maybe come to carve to set out front once it gets a bit closer to Halloween. Sokka jumps on that like a fish to bait, and the next weekend, Zuko is told to wear the most Fall-esque clothing he has and be ready by five in the evening. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka takes him to a pumpkin patch where they take an obscene amount of photos and pay far too much for six measly pumpkins. Sokka takes the art of capturing the photos very seriously, posing Zuko how he sees fit and snapping multiple pictures. They take plenty of selfies, and eventually Zuko caves and pulls out his own phone because Sokka is taking far too many pictures of </span>
  <em>
    <span>him </span>
  </em>
  <span>and not nearly enough of </span>
  <em>
    <span>himself. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko makes a picture he took of Sokka looking away from him, side profile in view, hair blowing in the slight breeze, backlit by the setting sun and surrounded by a golden glow his new lock screen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(He’s rewarded with a searing kiss that makes him breathless. Zuko goes for broke and makes one of their selfies where they’re sitting on a haystack and smiling at the camera his background. Sokka doesn’t see that one, but it still makes Zuko warm looking at it.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They end the day by going back to Sokka’s place and carving a pumpkin each. It’s messy, and loud, and they forget to save the seeds to roast later, but it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Sokka carves a chef’s hat, and Zuko carves a cup of tea, and they set them next to each other on Sokka’s balcony. It’s ridiculous, and cheesy, and maybe even kind of cringey, but Zuko </span>
  <em>
    <span>doesn’t care</span>
  </em>
  <span> because he loves this man so much. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katara somehow manages to convince Aang to agree to a double-date at a haunted house. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko doesn’t know how she managed, because, for all that Aang is a sucker for Katara, Zuko’s never once seen him give in to peer pressure. But, it turns out that Katara is a glutton for a good scare, and Aang couldn’t say no, and so he agrees to go with them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katara must have taken Aang’s dislike for horror into consideration, though, because the haunted house is clearly geared more towards teenagers looking for fun, rather than adults looking to be scared. Aang doesn’t get too scared, and he even laughs more than he screams. Regardless, he never once lets go of Katara’s hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko can’t even judge, because he hasn’t let go of Sokka’s either. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(It’s not like Sokka has tried to pull </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>hand away either, so they’re both taking equal advantage of the opportunity.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There are a few good scares that manage to make Zuko jump, but for the most part, everything is more for laughs than scares. There’s a corn maze on the same premise that they take the challenge of going in, figuring that between the four of them there’s no way they can get lost.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They get lost. Terribly so. This maze was made for </span>
  <em>
    <span>teens. </span>
  </em>
  <span>They’re all adults, how did they manage to get so lost? Zuko is about to give up hope and start looking for teenagers to follow out, when Sokka remembers he took a picture of the map at the entrance that the employee recommended they all take a picture of. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko can’t tell if he’s in love with a genius, an idiot, or some combination of the two. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko learns that Sokka loves horror movies even though he gets scared easily, so Zuko buys them tickets to this year’s mandatory new scary movie. While they’re waiting in line to redeem their tickets, and then to get snacks, Sokka bounces in nervous excitement. Zuko offers him one out, just in case he’s changed his mind, but Sokka denies it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>will </span>
  </em>
  <span>watch this movie,” Sokka tells him, sounding like he’s trying to convince himself more than Zuko. “It won’t be that bad. Right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Zuko agrees easily. “Just a chill movie about ghosts taking revenge on the living. No big deal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka gulps. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To his credit, Sokka does watch most of the movie on his own. He keeps Zuko’s hand in a death grip, and he hides his face in Zuko’s shoulder when the ghost demon thing appears, but he doesn’t scream and he doesn’t leave at any point. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m never watching a scary movie again,” Sokka says as they leave.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You keep telling yourself that,” Zuko says, trying (and failing) to keep the laughter out of his voice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I get no sympathy from you,” Sokka sniffs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Poor thing,” Zuko pouts back. “Do you want me to sleep over tonight? Keep you safe from the big bad ghosts?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Will you?” Sokka looks over to him, lips pushed out in a dramatic pout. Zuko knows he’s joking, knows Zuko has to open tomorrow, but…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko takes Sokka’s hand in his, presses a kiss to his knuckles. “Anything for you,” he says seriously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka blushes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko ends up spending the night. He has to get up ridiculously early to make it to The Jasmine Dragon on time, but he gets a sleepy goodbye kiss from Sokka and that makes it all worth it. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The day Sokka finds out that Zuko doesn’t like candy corn is a day that Zuko will not soon forget. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko only has time to visit the bakery a few times in the early morning in the way that has become their routine. He still finds time, but it is few and far between. That doesn’t make it any less more meaningful, though. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Today is one of those mornings. Zuko gets there early, mugs of hot coffee in hand. He shoulders the door open, tossing a greeting to Haru at the register and handing him his own cup of coffee. Sokka is in the kitchen baking cookies when he enters, and greets Zuko brightly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’cha working on?” Zuko asks, handing Sokka his coffee and leaning into the kiss Sokka gives him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m finishing up the cookies for today. I just took the candy corn ones out a few minutes ago. Want to try one?” Sokka says, moving over to the tray.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko tries valiantly to keep a straight face. He’s well aware that candy corn is a very polarizing subject, and throughout the month of October, he’s seen Sokka eat an unholy amount. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Zuko replies, trying for casual.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here, tell me how you like them,” Sokka says, handing Zuko a cookie. It even has bits of candy corn in it. There’s no way Zuko’s going to be able to keep a straight face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka watches eagerly as Zuko takes a bite, and Zuko fights to keep from reacting. He’s sure the taste is fine, and he’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>positive </span>
  </em>
  <span>that people who like candy corn will like this because it sure as hell tastes like it. Zuko takes his time chewing, trying his best to keep his eyes off Sokka’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s good,” Zuko makes himself say after swallowing. He knows that in order to sell it, he needs to take another bite. He does, but barely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You hate it,” Sokka says and Zuko’s heart sinks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” he says quickly. “It’s just very sweet, but it tastes fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka hums. “Do you hate the cookie, or do you hate candy corn?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko lets his face crumble. “I don’t like candy corn,” he admits.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe this,” Sokka says. He takes the cookie from Zuko’s hand and moves the tray to the back counter. “Betrayed by my own boyfriend.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s just so sweet,” Zuko whines. “And it’s a weird texture. It’s like chewy sugar.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm, I’ll give you that the texture isn’t for everyone,” Sokka says. “But I can’t believe my own boyfriend doesn’t like candy corn.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not that strange,” Zuko defends. “I don’t understand how you </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>like it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s good!” Sokka exclaims.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t even taste like anything other than sugar.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure it does.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” Zuko takes a drink of his coffee, washing out the taste from his mouth. “What does it taste like then?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka hesitates. “Well, they have chocolate flavored ones.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t count.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure it does!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko levels Sokka with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>look </span>
  </em>
  <span>and Sokka wilts a little. “Fine, I’m allowing you to win this round of debate. I will come back for another round, though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure thing, sweetheart,” Zuko says, and has the satisfaction of watching Sokka stumble as he walks to turn off a timer. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka and Katara set the cookie decorating even to take place a week before Halloween. They debate for a little while on whether to do it on a Friday or a Saturday, but figure they might get more people if they do it on a Friday. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was simpler to set up than they thought, just a little bit of paperwork and then advertising the event. They close the shop for the day so they can prepare, setting up the front, and then gathering all the materials. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka makes the most basic sugar cookie recipe he can to lessen any chance of allergy. He lets it chill in the fridge for a few hours before he starts baking the cookies. He had thought about letting the kids do this part themselves so they can cut out their own shapes, but had thought that both the kids and the parents wouldn’t want to wait while the cookies bake, and then cool before getting to decorate them. So, he’s baking them beforehand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The event is set to start at four, and Aang and Zuko had promised to be here to help out by three at the latest. Sure enough, three o’clock rolls around and Aang and Zuko are coming through the door, laden with materials to make gallons of hot chocolate. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We thought it might be nice if there were drinks to go with the cookies,” Aang explains with a shrug. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka looks at Zuko, who also shrugs helplessly. “Can we maybe use your kitchen?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka lets himself be overcome with affection for a second because </span>
  <em>
    <span>wow his boyfriend really is perfect. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He’s sure Katara is going through some similar emotions if the look on her face is anything to go by. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The event goes off without a hitch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There’s a steady string of families making their way to the shop, and the kids seem to have a really good time decorating. Sokka and Katara walk around and help the kids, but mostly leave them to their parents and their own devices. Zuko and Aang take charge of doling out cups of hot chocolate, making sure no one ever goes without. The kids are definitely on a sugar high, some running around the shop, and most are talking and laughing loudly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Watching Zuko interact with the kids that come up to him is quite possibly the most adorable and heartstopping thing that Sokka has ever seen. The whole time Zuko has this soft, welcoming smile on his face. When Sokka is close enough to hear him, his voice is soft and welcoming as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s making Sokka feel all kinds of things, and all of them are good. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time the last of the kids leave, the bakery is a mess, icing sugar, sprinkles, crumbs everywhere. Sokka even thinks he sees fingerprints on the windows. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it was a great day, everything went well, and everyone left happy and satisfied. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The four of them clean the bakery together, and then go out to dinner after. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They’re still loud, and a little hyper due to the adrenaline of the day, but it feels good. Sokka feels at peace here with these people that he cares so much about. Sokka sighs and lets himself rest his head on Zuko’s shoulder. Zuko smiles down at him, and yeah. Sokka feels really happy right now. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Halloween comes, and as nighttime grows near, Zuko doesn’t feel one ounce of anxiety over the upcoming social event. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It might be because it’s happening in his own home, where he feels comfortable, but he also thinks it has to do with the people. Zuko feels more comfortable with Sokka than he does when he’s alone these days. He sees Aang as a little brother and Zuko couldn’t be uncomfortable around him if he tried. And by this point, he considers Katara a good friend and genuinely enjoys spending time with her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Look at him making good, solid friends. His chosen adult figures are probably so proud of him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka shows up at the house before Aang and Katara do, arms laden with bags of snacks and their ‘costumes’ (onesies) in hand. Zuko opens the door for him, helping him with his load of things, taking the food into the kitchen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have to put on the onesie immediately,” is the first thing Sokka says. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello to you, too,” Zuko says. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Zuko, please,” Sokka says, voice and face both serious. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>need </span>
  </em>
  <span>to see you in this bat onesie. We’re about to be so cute. Katara is dressing up as a Pokemon trainer and Aang is dressing up as Pikachu. We </span>
  <em>
    <span>must </span>
  </em>
  <span>be cuter than them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aang is dressing up as Pikachu?” Zuko asks. Sokka nods seriously. “I’m sorry, love, but there is no way we’ll be cuter than Aang in a Pikachu costume.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s what Katara said,” Sokka groans. “We have to try, okay? I know Aang is literally one of the most adorable people ever, but we can do this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you say so,” Zuko says, not believing it for a second. He takes the onesie from Sokka’s hands nonetheless. “Alright then, let’s go put them on.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Zuko sees Sokka in the onesie, one thing’s for sure. He’s not sure how he looks himself, but seeing Sokka in an oversized bat onesie is </span>
  <em>
    <span>the best thing ever. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He may just combust right there. Zuko has no idea how his boyfriend can keep going from the hottest thing he’s ever seen to the cutest. Being with Sokka is going to give him heart problems.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my gosh,” Sokka says when he sees Zuko. “You’re fucking adorable. Get over here, we need to take pictures.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I need it to be known that you are the most amazing person I’ve ever seen,” Zuko says, brain to mouth filter just </span>
  <em>
    <span>gone </span>
  </em>
  <span>in the wake of all that is Sokka.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow,” Sokka says, face red and eyes wide. “Holy shit. Right back at you, baby.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pictures?” Zuko asks when it seems like Sokka’s still frozen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right. Pictures,” Sokka breathes out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka and Zuko finish getting the food, drinks, and movies ready and set in the living room. Zuko had taken almost every pillow and blanket they have and moved them into the living room earlier, so the floor is a sea of soft, perfect for laying down and watching movies all night. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aang and Katara show up about an hour later, and Zuko was right in thinking that nothing could be more adorable than Aang dressed up as Pikachu. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’s only a little bit in awe of the power Aang holds, he swears. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko had thought the first few minutes of everyone being here might be awkward, but it’s not. Katara and Aang walk in and make themselves at home, throwing themselves onto the piles of blankets and pillows and reaching for snacks almost immediately. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are we watching first?” Katara asks. “I vote </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hocus Pocus</span>
  </em>
  <span>. We need to set the mood.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oooh, how are we gonna handle handing out the candy?” Aang asks excitedly. “I wanna see the little kids in their costumes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko doesn’t know why he was ever worried. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They put on </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hocus Pocus </span>
  </em>
  <span>first, and when trick-or-treaters start coming, they take turns answering the door. Katara teases him for how much care he put into making the goodie-bags, but it’s gentle teasing and he </span>
  <em>
    <span>watches her </span>
  </em>
  <span>sneak one into her bag. Aang thinks they’re adorable and delights in the kid’s squeals of joy when he hands them out. He asks for his own, and Zuko tosses him one that he had made with Aang in mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you want yours too, Katara? Or do you wanna keep the one you snuck away?” Zuko teases her. She tosses a pillow at him, and he tosses her the candy bag, and they both have small smiles on their faces. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the night goes on, they make their way through a decent chunk of classic Halloween movies. They’ve eaten their way through most of the snacks, only some chips and cookies left. The trick-or-treaters have long since stopped coming, so Zuko shuts off the lights and decorations in the front yard. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It gets late enough that Aang, Katara, and Sokka decide to stay over rather than trying to make their way back home when they’re all exhausted. Around two in the morning, Katara starts to fall asleep on the floor, so Zuko makes the executive decision to initiate bedtime. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He and Sokka manage to heard Aang and Katara up the stairs and to the guest bedroom, where they both collapse on the bed. Sokka spreads a blanket over them, and then almost immediately starts snapping pictures. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko pretends like he wasn’t about to start doing the same. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Send me one,” he whispers and then has to usher Sokka out of the room as he starts laughing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko thinks about going downstairs and starting to clean up, but he really can’t be bothered right now. Most of the mess is the pillows and blankets since all four of them are too polite to leave too much of a mess and had been picking up after themselves as the night went on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mind eased about the mess, he takes Sokka’s hand in his and pulls him to Zuko’s bedroom. Zuko manages to brush his teeth, but that’s as far as he gets before he too collapses on his bed. Sokka heads to the bathroom himself, since he has a few things he keeps here, and that thought always makes Zuko smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Sokka comes back in, Zuko is reaching over the side of the bed to plug in both of their phones. He’s probably exerting way more energy doing it this way than he would by just getting up, but he doesn’t care.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not gonna change?” Sokka asks, taking one of the phones from Zuko’s hands and plugging it in himself easily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” Zuko mumbles. “It’s a onesie, it’s basically pajamas. Do you want to change? You can take whatever,” Zuko waves a lazy hand toward his dresser, but doesn’t move much more than that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m okay,” Sokka says softly. Zuko hums in response and scoots over, making more room for Sokka. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then get in the bed,” Zuko says, looking at him through squinted eyes. It’s not the first time they’ve shared a bed, and it won’t be the last, either. Not if Zuko has anything to say about it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka climbs in next to him, pulling a light blanket over them, and cuddling Zuko into his arms. Zuko lets out a happy sigh, snuggling in to his heart’s content. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“‘Night,” Zuko mumbles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Goodnight, sweetheart,” Sokka whispers back. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope y'all liked this fic, it was fun really fun for me to write :) As always, here are some links to what's happening in the world. Remember to stay safe, wear a mask, and VOTE!</p><p>Black Lives Matter petitions, donations, and other resources  <a href="https://t.co/ScNVY4VxD2?amp=1">here</a><br/>If you can’t donate, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlhfJSrlPNthnoD1XFDHzmdf6Mpt2pe-2&amp;feature=share">here’s</a> a youtube playlist where all the proceeds from the videos are being donated to BLM charities<br/>Yemen Crisis Links <a href="https://yemencrisis.carrd.co/">here</a><br/>Helping Lebanon Links <a href="https://helplebanon.carrd.co/">here</a><br/>COVID-19 and others (US specific):  <a href="https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/news/covid-19-resources-services-support">here</a><br/>California Fires Info and Donation Links: <a href="https://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/2020/08/20/california-fires-how-to-help-river-lake-carmel-wildfires/5618698002/">Here</a></p><p><a href="https://rejectscanon.tumblr.com/">Here’s</a> my tumblr if you want to peruse and enjoy</p></blockquote></div></div>
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